To save her village's last lifeline from a predatory mining company, housewife Ming-hua steps out of the kitchen and into the heart of a volatile political conflict.
Zhonghua Village is a quiet place in the mountains of Northern Taiwan. For a long time, the village provided water and land to others, but the local people stayed poor. Ming-hua is a woman who runs a small restaurant there. At first, people saw her as an “outsider.” She often dreamed of leaving for a better life.
Everything changed when a mining company arrived. They wanted to dig near the village’s water source. The company offered money to the elders to get their support. This created a big fight between neighbors. However, Ming-hua used her computer to find the truth: the mine would destroy their only water source. She became a leader and refused to quit. In the end, she was elected Village Head and stopped the project.
But the challenge didn’t end there. In 2025-2026, a new company returned with even more money. The villagers began to waver again. Now, Ming-hua is at a crossroads. She has a newborn grandchild and a new house, but she also has a duty to protect the land. She must decide whether to run for re-election. To save her home for the next generation, she remains on the front line of this fight.
Dai Wei is an independent filmmaker based in Taiwan, working across the realms of both documentary and fiction. She explores “stories in the cracks,” focusing on the unheard and blending reality with experimental art to push the boundaries of imagination. For her, cinema is more than a medium; it is a vital language for the voiceless.
CHANG Tzu Hsiang is a director and cinematographer from Taiwan and an alumnus of the Golden Horse Film Academy. He focuses on individual fate in contemporary society, seeking a profound dialogue between the camera and reality.
Pony Ma is a film critic and the head of the program team at the Taipei Film Festival. Born and raised in Taipei, she had been one of the directors of the Taiwan Film Critics Society and was invited to serve as guest curator. In 2024, she co-founded Autumn Film Production as a producer, and provides festival strategy.